Sidney Herald: Tester’s cost-of-living bill becomes law

With a signature from the President, Senator Jon Tester’s bipartisan bill to provide disabled veterans and survivors with a cost-of-living increase today became law.

Tester’s bill matches the veterans’ benefit increase to the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) provided to Social Security recipients. It will benefit nearly 4 million veterans and their families and affect several important veterans’ benefits, including disability compensation and survivor benefits for spouses and children.

“Veterans fought hard for this country and earned all their benefits,” said Tester, Montana’s only member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “It’s my job to make sure those benefits keep pace with economic realities, and it is our responsibility to keep living up to those promises on behalf of all veterans.”